Johannesburg municipal sanitary workers

Johannesburg municipal sanitary workers begin the “bucket strike”

📅 6 Juni 1918

Fifty African municipal sanitary workers struck for higher wages, beginning what became known as the “bucket strike.” The action grew to involve thousands of workers, many of whom faced low pay,...

Authorities arrest striking Johannesburg sanitary workers

📅 8 Juni 1918

As the municipal sanitary workers’ strike grew, more than 150 African workers were arrested and sentenced to hard labour. The repression showed how quickly workplace protest could be criminalised...